


The Prince, The Knight, and The Assassin

by Emyvio



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Assassin Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Assassin Deceit | Janus Sanders, Assassin Logic | Logan Sanders, Attempted Murder, Casual Mentions of Death and Assassination, Child Assassins, Child Neglect, Child slavery, Could be Read as Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome, Everyone else is 18-19, Everyone is Sympathetic Except for the Dragon Witch, Except for the Dragon Witch (High Queen), High Queen is the Dragon Witch if You Couldn't Tell, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Janus is a Good Big Bro, Kid Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Kid Logic | Logan Sanders, Kidnapping, Knight Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Knight Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, M/M, Multi, Not Supposed to be Though, Patton's Parents are also unsympathetic, Post-Break Up, Prince Morality | Patton Sanders, Remus is aroace, She's old
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:13:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27798286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emyvio/pseuds/Emyvio
Summary: Janus has never had a good life, raised to be a perfect assassin for the Dark Kingdom. Even though he hates his life, he follows all of his orders and does what he can to protect his little family. But what happens when he's given an order he can't follow through?Patton is the Prince of the Light Kingdom. His family sees him as just a pretty face, a bargaining chip for peace between the two Kingdoms. He's given up everything for his Kingdom, even his chance of being happy with the love of his life by being forced into an arranged marriage with the High Queen of the Dark Kingdom. But what happens when he's kidnapped by someone who's lived through more horrors than Patton could ever imagine?Roman is the personal knight and lover of Prince Patton. At least, he WAS Patton's lover, until they broke up so Patton could marry the High Queen. He hates having to pretend that he no longer feels anything for the Prince. But what happens when Patton disappears in the middle of the night?What happens when the stars align just right? When a tortured soul refuses to kill? When family and duty are abandoned over love? When pain and anger override all thought? When three men, destined to be apart, fall in love?
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 21
Kudos: 54





	1. The Assignment

Two steps to the left.

_ Clash! _

Feign a jab. Step to the right.

_ Clang! _

Opponent is leaning heavily on his right foot. Most likely hurt his left. Jab near his right, make him lean back on his left. Swipe your leg out from under him-

“Oof!” The small figure fell to the floor, going to roll out of the way only to be stopped by the tip of a sword against his neck.

Janus glanced out of the corner of his eye to see the instructors leaving and relaxed minutely, stepping back.  _ Evaluation over. Must have passed if we're not punished already.  _ He put his sword away and held out his hand for his smaller opponent to grab. "Acknowledging your weaknesses will get you killed. Even if your foot has been crushed to a pulp, you need to put just as much weight on it as you would your right. Ignoring your pain, if only for the few moments of your fight, could be the difference between killing and dying."

His pupil nodded, grabbing the offered hand and pulling himself up. He dusted the dirt off his clothes and followed Janus back to their room, doing much better to hide his injured foot than when they were sparring. The room was small, more comparable to a closet than a bedroom in terms of size. But because of Janus' status, the room only houses three instead of the standard seven, so they wouldn't complain.

His pupil, Virgil, stepped into the room and immediately sat down on his cot, cradling his injured foot. Janus sighed and pried open the moldy floorboards, grabbing the small medkit hidden he’d stolen months ago. Virgil saw the medkit and shook his head "m fine."

Janus frowned, kneeling in front of him. "You obviously aren't, now let me take a look at it." He lightly grabbed Virgil by the calf and carefully removed his sock and shoe. He took note of Virgil's wince as he examined his limb. His foot appeared to be in perfect health, but his ankle was swollen slightly.

Virgil huffed softly, turning away. "See? I'm fine. No use in wasting supplies." He yelped when Janus poked his ankle, trying to jerk back but his leg stuck in Janus' firm grip.

Janus rolled his eyes. "Just let me wrap you up and give you a painkiller, Vee." He grabbed the roll of bandages, not waiting for Virgil’s response as he wrapped his ankle. Virgil huffed and grumbled under his breath.

_ Knock knock-knock knock _

Janus tensed up before he recognized the knock pattern, relaxing. “Come in.” He didn’t bother turning back to look as he meticulously wrapped Virgil’s ankle. He heard the door open and closed followed by a sigh.

“I  _ knew  _ you twisted your ankle yesterday.” The person behind him drawled. “If you had let me tend to it yesterday-”

“Yeah, I know.” Virgil flushed and looked away. “But it felt fine yesterday, and if the supervisors had seen the bandages-”

“It would’ve been a risk we were willing to take.” He finished wrapping his foot and sat up, making deliberate eye contact with Virgil as he spoke. “We would’ve hidden them under your clothes, and  _ if  _ they still somehow saw it I would’ve taken the blame, not you. I’m the only one here with potential access to medical supplies.” Janus was the only one who went on unsupervised missions, the others too young so they were heavily supervised.

Virgil frowned, his gaze flickering to the left half Janus’ face as he remained silent. Janus ignored it, used to people staring at the scar. It started at the inner corner of his eye and trailed just under his cheekbone, ending at his jaw just under his ear. He’d gotten it when he was 8, a warning for hesitating in the middle of a mission. The only reason he wasn’t killed on the spot was that he was a prodigy at what he did.

Janus put the bandages away and searched for some pain medication. “Did your evaluation go well, Lo?”

Logan, or ‘Lo’ as Janus had so eloquently put it, sighed. “They changed the assignment as soon as I arrived in an attempt to throw me off guard. I still managed to pass, if barely.” He knelt down next to Janus, and Janus resisted the urge to frown.  _ They’re being a lot more strict on evaluations now. Have they forgotten that they’re doing this to children? Or maybe they want them to fail so they can be broken down more.  _ Janus mentally shook away the thought as he handed Virgil a pill, trying not to seem too obvious.

Virgil noticed though. He always noticed the little things. “That’s the last pill. We should save it for when we need it.”

Janus shook his head. “I’ll go smuggle some more on my next mission.”

Virgil scooted back, looking away. “I told you I’m  _ fine-” _

Logan crawled over to Virgil’s side, grabbing his hand and squeezing. “Just  _ please _ take the pill, Virgil.” Janus watched as Logan and Virgil stared at each other, their mini battle-of-wills adorable to watch when you ignored the context. Virgil eventually sighed, taking the pill and swallowing without water as Logan rubbed his hand soothingly. Janus watched out of the corner of his eye as he put the medical supplies away, smiling softly at their interaction. It was moments like these that reminded Janus why he kept himself alive, why he kept listening to the High Queen’s demands.

No one in the Dark Kingdom could remember a time before the High Queen’s rule. She ruled the land with an iron fist, though most of the citizens were left unaware of the true horrors that lied behind the castle walls.

Janus was one of those horrors. Raised by birth to do the one thing that he was good at anymore: killing. Janus was an assassin for the High Queen.

“Jan?” Janus looked down at Virgil, snapping himself out of thought. “Are we busy today?”

Janus sighed. “I have to go receive my new mission from her highness at sunset, but you have nothing to do until training tomorrow.”

Virgil nodded and snuggled into Logan’s side, making grabby hands towards Janus. Janus smiled, rolling his eyes fondly as he crawled onto the tiny cot. His two pupils adjusted themselves accordingly, one on each side as they used his shoulders as pillows, their hands linked together over his chest. Janus watched over them as their breathing slowed, their grips on each other and Janus refusing to go slack as they drifted into slumber.

Janus frowned, starting up at the ceiling above him. They didn’t deserve to suffer through this type of life. Hell, if it wasn’t for the High Queen’s order for the older assassins to train the younger ones as mentors, Janus was sure that they wouldn’t have lasted. They were good at what they did, but not good enough for her majesty.

Virgil whimpered softly and Janus was quick to shush him, petting his hair and wiping away his fresh tears. The kid had nightmares almost every night, and Janus learned that it was best for him to just sleep through them. If he woke up there was a chance he would still remember what he dreamed about in the morning, and Janus refused to put him through that.

Janus sighed, his mind going back to the documents he had found and read years ago. It had included information on all of the  ~~children ~~ _ operatives  _ in this program. Janus had only read the information on himself and his two pupils, not having much time and deeming the rest irrelevant. Before then, they didn’t even have their real names to go by, just the codenames that the higher-ups gave them.

Virgil, codenamed Widow. Ten years old, will turn eleven near the winter solstice. Was neglected in an orphanage and later ‘donated’ to the Kingdom’s cause at almost four years old. An odd case, especially since operatives were usually initiated at 1-2 years old. Specializes in stealth and poisoning, and can blend in with almost any crowd. Can climb and run quickly, but quite weak in terms of hand-to-hand combat.

Logan, codenamed Sparrow. Turned nine near the spring equinox. Was sold to the castle at 14 months old. A natural prodigy, second only to Deceit, but tends to lose any form of stealth without Widow or Deceit by his side. Prefers to use a throwing knife and call it a day over making it look like a natural death. Is usually partnered with Widow to keep him in check.

Janus, codenamed Deceit. Turned nineteen near the summer solstice. Son of a noble who ‘donated’ him to the cause the moment he was born. First child to be entered into the program, and the oldest one in it. Raised to be the perfect killer. Completes every mission perfectly, other than the instance where he got his scar. The High Queen’s ‘favorite.’ Assigned as Logan’s mentor when he was 11, and Virgil’s a little over a year later. Can kill someone with almost anything, but specializes in swords.

Janus sighed, carding his hands through his pupils’ hair. He saw them as something akin to younger brothers, someone that he needed to watch over and take care of. But that was quickly changing. They were already so big, and Janus was dreading the day that the higher-ups would notice and kill the youthful light in their eyes. They still laughed and smiled, even if it was just in the comfort of their little room. They still cared about eachother and trusted the other to catch them when they fell. They didn’t have the same cynical view on the world that Janus did.

But that wouldn’t last forever. Janus knew they could take care of themselves now, but Janus still dreaded the day they would be forced to do so. The day that Janus was given too big of a task and didn’t come home. The inevitable day that the higher-ups noticed how close they were and started using them against each other.

Janus shook his head. It wouldn’t do good to dwell on such thoughts. He needed to live in the moment while he still had a happy moment to live in.

* * *

When the sun just started to set along the horizon, Janus carefully pulled himself out from under his pseudo-brothers. They immediately latched onto each other, and Janus smiled softly before schooling his features. He quickly stepped out of the room, ignoring the chilly hallway as he walked through the castle, past the dozens of rooms filled to the brim with child soldiers.

He reached the throne room just as the sun disappeared below the horizon, not bothering to glance around the room as he walked down the familiar path towards the High Queen’s throne. He knelt down at the base of the throne, his gaze down towards the expensive silver-lined shoes in front of him. “Your majesty.”

A hand carded through his hair and he stopped himself from flinching or tensing up, already expecting it to happen. “Deccceit… my preccciousss sssnake…” The hand tugged, not quite harsh but  _ definitely  _ not gentle, and Janus looked up at the High Queen. She reminded Janus of a dragon, her old, wrinkly skin reminding him of dragon scales. She tended to speak softly in low hisses, but Janus was used to straining to hear what she said. “I have a tassssk for you.”

He kept his expression neutral, not showing any emotion as he droned out his response. “Anything for you, my Queen.” He bit back a shudder as she kept carding her fingers through his hair. She had once claimed to see Janus as a son to her, but Janus would never see her as a mother. She was cruel and manipulative, and only saw people as pieces to her own master plan.

“The Light Kingdom hasss deccccided to negotiate peacccce with ussss.” Janus inwardly relaxed, already knowing what she would say. This wasn’t the first time they had tried to negotiate peace, and this wasn’t the first time she had sent Janus out to deal with it. The High Queen didn’t wish for peace, or even to win her battle against the Light Kingdom. No, she craved the violence and war between the two kingdoms, the constant pain and suffering that everyone around her was forced to endure at her expense. So, she would order him to kill the light side’s politicians before they reached the meeting point, make it look like they all disappeared out of thin air-

“They offered the Princccce’sssss hand in exchange for peacccccce.” Janus barely held back his shock. Prince Patton was eighteen, and the only heir to the throne. Either the King and Queen wanted to fully merge the kingdoms (which was highly unlikely) or they weren’t wanting the Prince to rule. But that also left a much more concerning matter at hand. The Queen didn’t want to establish peace, which meant Janus’ task-

“Your tassssk isss to kill the Princcccce.” The hand kept carding through his hair, her voice calm and light, as if she was discussing the weather and not murder. “You’ll leave tonight. I’ll have sssssomeone bring you to the border. The wedding isssss ssssscheduled to occur in two and a half weekssss. I expect to hear about hissssss death long before then.”

He nodded, ice flooding his veins. He had only killed corrupt politicians and men with no morals. He’d never killed someone so young, and the thought made his stomach churn. But he had no choice. “It will be done, my Queen.”

She laughed a cruel wicked laugh and dismissed him to grab his weapons. He left, feeling numb as he traveled through the halls, the task finally sinking in. He had to infiltrate the Light Kingdom’s castle and assassinate the crown prince. An impossible task for most, and highly improbable for Janus. If he was caught or failed his task, he would be killed or worse. And he would never see Logan or Virgil again.

Janus swept into the room, knowing that he didn’t have much time before he had to leave. He packed his weapons and gently shook his charges awake, his dread momentarily paused by their sleepy expressions. “I’m assigned to leave tonight. If everything goes according to plan I’ll be back in less than three weeks.”

The children said nothing as they wrapped themselves around Janus, holding him tight. The fact that he said ‘if everything goes according to plan’ meant that he wasn’t confident about this mission, and they immediately held on for dear life.

He smiled sadly, rubbing their backs soothingly. “I need to leave now. Go back to sleep, you have training in the morning.” He didn’t promise to come back. These were the only two people that Janus swore never to lie to, and he wasn’t going to do it now just to give them a moment of false hope. They soon fell back asleep on the cot, holding each other tighter than before, and Janus slipped out the door and into the night.


	2. The Day Before, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little snippet of Prince Patton's daily life

_ “But red-cap went joyously home, and no one ever did anything to harm her again.” _

“Wait a minute!” One of the children called out, his shaggy brown hair flopping to the side as he tilted his head. “My Mum told me that the wolf ate little red-cap and her grandmother, not tie them up in a sack!”

“Yeah!” Another child piped up, sticking his pudgy hand up to the sky. “And my Pa said there was another wolf, who fell into the stone trough and drowned!”

The storyteller hummed, closing his book. “Those are your parent’s stories. Jonathan, did your mother’s story have them eat freshly-baked cookies and milk instead of cake and whine?”

The brown haired boy, Jonathan, frowned. “No.”

The storyteller hummed. “Samuel, did your father’s story have red-cap sing your favorite song while she picked the flowers?”

The other child, Samuel, shook his head.

The storyteller smiled. “Everyone can have their own story. Those are your parent’s stories. This,” He gestured to the book, “is  _ our  _ story. And that makes it special.” Someone coughed behind them and the storyteller sighed. “I’m afraid that’s the last story for today, Kiddos!”

Both children whined, grabbing onto the sleeves of the storyteller’s shirt. “Please don’t go Patton!” Jonathan begged. “Just one more story?”

The storyteller, Patton, smiled softly. He was about to speak when another cough, more impatient this time, sounded behind them. Patton sighed, standing up. “I’m sorry Kiddos, I have to go. But if I have time tomorrow I’ll be at the Mayfairs’ tomorrow, so if you wanna hear more stories make sure you go and give them a visit!” He booped their noses and the two boys giggled, immediately letting go of his arms. Patton chuckled and walked away. “Goodbye Jonathan, goodbye Samuel!”

“Bye Patton!” The boys called out, and Patton smiled softly as walked across the field. On the other side of the field stood his personal guard, his gaze unwavering as he searched for any sign of danger. It was a sight that usually made Patton giggly with butterflies in his tummy, but now it only made him feel sad and alone.

As he approached, the man’s face went through a myriad of emotions, each one Patton knew by heart, before settling on despondency. “Your Highness.” He said stiffly, bowing his head.

Patton frowned, his heart breaking into a thousand pieces at the gesture. “Roman, please drop the formalities. You know how uncomfortable they make me-”

Roman interrupted him, his voice cold and emotionless as he spoke. “It would be scandalous if I were to refer to a  _ betrothed  _ prince with anything other than his title.”

The words felt like a punch to the gut and Patton looked away, ashamed. “You know I had no choice-”

Roman cut him off again, his voice still emotionless as he spoke. “I’ve already given my opinion on the matter.”

Patton frowned as they climbed onto their horses, traveling the rest of their way to the castle in silence. It’s been 2 days since Patton was informed that he was now betrothed to the High Queen of the Dark Kingdom, and Patton’s had this same argument with Roman the entire time. Before the announcement, the two of them had been dating in secret for almost 2 years. But now that Patton was betrothed, he decided to break up with Roman so as to not lead him on. The resulting argument had not gone well.

_ “I can’t do that, Patton!” Roman shouted, tears streaming down your face. “I can’t pretend to just be your friend. I spent  _ **_years_ ** _ being ‘just your friend,’ watching from the sidelines and practically begging for your affection. I can’t go back to that, not after all I’ve had. After all  _ **_we’ve_ ** _ had. If I look at you as anything other than a Prince after this, my heart will shatter into thousands of pieces, over and over again, knowing that you have my heart but I can no longer have yours.” _

Patton had sobbed himself to sleep that night, as he had the night after and most likely will tonight. Patton hoped that his new bride wouldn’t mind a pillow that was always wet with tears.

When they got back to the castle, Roman stood quiet and attentive as always. He followed Patton down the halls and to the throne room, where Patton’s parents sat on their ornate thrones. Patton always hated those thrones. He hated everything about this wretched castle. It was all expensive and uncomfortable, it’s only purpose was to show everyone else how wealthy the royal family was. Patton was confident he could sell any of the jewels on his mother’s neck and have enough money to feed a small community for a week and still have some pocket change left over.

Patton bowed his head while Roman kneeled to the ground behind him. “Mother, Father.”

“Where were you this evening? The servants went to collect you for your royal fitting.” Queen Karen asked, not even bothering to fully address her son.

Patton was confused and irritated, but he didn’t let it show. “I wasn’t made aware that my fitting was scheduled for today. Why was I not informed last night? Or perhaps today during lunch?” He ignored her question, knowing by this point giving even the slightest detail would be disastrous. If he was caught lying, they’d make sure that he’d never leave the castle until he was married and shipped off to the Dark Kingdom. If he told them he left the castle, they would push for answers until he gave them the names of the families he visited, who would then be taxed to the point of bankruptcy. Even though they didn’t harm Patton physically, they still made it their goal in life to make him miserable.

They both ignored the question as King Jacob spoke, his voice rough with irritation. “The tailor will come back tomorrow afternoon. You will be waiting for him in the fitting room.”

Patton ignored the flash of rage he felt at his father’s choice of words. Joan was a talented tailor, one of the best tailors in the kingdom. They were also nonbinary, but Patton’s father chose to ignore that little detail. “Yes, Father.” Patton said impassively.

“You are dismissed.” Both royals said at once, and Patton wasted no time as he made his way out of the throne room, Roman rising up and following close behind.

The rest of the night was a rather…intense affair. Patton would travel throughout the castle to perform his nightly duties. Roman would follow close behind, his face stoic and stance rigid. Patton was used to this, as Roman had been doing this since he was first appointed as Patton’s personal guard. But usually, there was a sense of underlying affection; a small smile, a certain light in his eyes, a small lilt in his voice as he addressed Patton. But now it was all gone. No more hidden affection, no more pretending to be cold and distant. Now it was real, and Patton couldn’t even look in Roman’s direction without his heart breaking into a thousand pieces.

By the time all of Patton’s tasks were done, the sun had long since set and everyone had gone to bed. Patton quickly made his way to his chambers, his heart heavy as Roman followed close behind. Normally they would enter his room together, and they would laugh and kiss and touch each other in the safety of his room. But now they would simply part ways once they reached the door. The thought of Roman coldly turning back the second they reached his room hurt the prince in a way he didn’t expect. They were nearing Patton’s room when he muttered, mostly to himself. “I can find my chambers on my own. You don’t need to follow me the entire way.”

Roman frowned. “It would be improper to have you journey there alone.” There was an edge to it, a sliver of emotion, more than anything Patton had gotten since their fight two days ago.

Rather than comforting him, however, it only served to fuel his irritation. “I assure you I am fine. I do not need you to wait on me constantly. I can take care of myself.”

Roman huffed as they reached the door. “It is my duty to make sure that nothing happens to you. Your own ability to defend yourself is irrelevant. I am only here to protect you, nothing more.”

A part of Patton knew that Roman still cared. That he was only being cold and repetitive to protect himself. But that part of Patton was overshadowed by the anger boiling over inside him. It wasn’t like his previous anger, which was bright and hot and loud. This anger was tinged with too many emotions to be violent. It was filled with depression, fatigue, and hopelessness.

Patton quickly pulled Roman into his room, slamming the door shut behind them. “I can’t.” He thought he heard something rustle but he ignored it, instead focused on Roman’s glare. “I can’t spend every day pretending that this never happened. I can’t handle your cold shoulder, or the constant bite in your voice. It’s not my fault, and I can’t handle your anger! I can handle the townspeople’s anger about the war. I can handle my parents anger at how much of a disappointment I am.” His voice started to crack as he barely held back a sob. “But I can’t handle yours.”

Roman had stayed silent the whole time, his face impassive. But Patton could tell that Roman was just on the edge of exploding, his stance rigid as he finally spoke. “What should I do then?” Patton knew that Roman was holding himself back from yelling. He’d been doing that since their fight two days ago, when his shouting had reduced Patton to uncontrollable sobs. But for some reason his cold aloofness hurt Patton even more. He knew it wasn’t true, but it was like Roman couldn’t even be bothered to be angry with him. Like Patton didn’t even deserve that.

“I-” Patton took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “I need some space. And some time. To process all of this. And I’m sure you do too.” He looked away, not able to meet Roman’s gaze as tears started welling up in his eyes. “I’ll escort myself to Joan tomorrow, then I shall retreat to the library for the rest of the day. Take the day off tomorrow. I think some time alone will do good for the both of us.”

Roman remained quiet for several minutes, simply staring at the tears in the prince’s eyes. The moment of silence felt like an eternity, until eventually Roman nodded sharply. “Have a pleasant evening, Your Highness.” Then he spun around and left.

Patton stared at the spot Roman had been standing in, his heart breaking into a thousand pieces at the blatant dismissal.  _ He didn’t even say sweet dreams.  _ A tear rolled down Patton’s face but he ignored it, getting ready for bed. He didn’t even bother changing out of his current clothes or taking off his glasses, instead just removing his boots and plopping into his bed. He felt the urge to sob as tears rolled down his face but he ignored it. He was too tired to cry tonight. He did this particular stab to the heart himself, after all. He was the one who told Roman to go away.

After nearly an hour of just laying there and silently crying, Patton finally drifted off into a fitful slumber. Unaware of the person lurking underneath him, patiently waiting for their moment to strike.


End file.
